Well, today is simply one of those days where I wish I had a terribly clever blog and said all sorts of cute and insightful things that would make readers drool over my incredibly kick ass way of emoting. GULP. Truth is, I don’t often think of clever, cute things to say in my blogs. But that’s okay. Better to be who I am than who I am not.

In the meantime, here are “news” items or things I’ve done this last week or noticed when the wind was blowing right:

1. I love FRINGE and TRUE BLOOD. These are shows I can’t wait to watch. Thank the heavens for my TiVo. The bad thing is that TRUE BLOOD won’t be on again until Summer of ’09! Gasp. How will I survive?

2. Started reading Anne Lamont’s BIRD BY BIRD this last week and finished it. Can’t believe I hadn’t read it before. I plan on rereading ON WRITING by Stephen King. Both of these books are extremely inspirational for me as a writer, and I recommend them for any writer who feels like they need a boost.

3. I just finished Pamela Clare’s outstanding historical romance RIDE THE WIND. I love this author’s books! Next up for her, UNTAMED, a reissue that comes out in December that I haven’t read before.

4. I stopped watching LIFE ON MARS (American version) because I like the British version so much better. I stopped watching SANCTUARY. Couldn’t get into it.

5. I’m getting a mini schnauzer puppy in March! Yes. Spending time picking out cute names.

6. Procrastinated like crazy, as I have for the last month, with writing my latest SWAT novel. ‘Tis the season to be SLOOOOOOWWWWW. I finally finished it, turned it into my critique partner and BOY do I have a lot of revision to do.

What is everyone doing these days? Tell me about your adventures the last couple of weeks.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Everyone who knows me realizes I love Halloween. Love it!

In celebration of Halloween, I have scary books for you to explore. But these books are more than scary, they are stories that have great plot, great characters, and intriguing ways of looking at the world. They have deep insight into the human psyche that gives you more than just a creepy feeling:

1. Intensity by Dean Koontz
2. The Taken by Dean Koontz
3. Dark Fall by Dean Koontz
4. Midnight by Dean Koontz
5. Phantom by Dean Koontz
6. Relic by Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child
7. Julien’s House by Judith Hawkes
8. It by Stephen King
9. Jaws by Peter Benchley

If you’re not into scary stories, do you have some favorite novels that are on your keeper shelf that forever touched you and that you’ll never forget? If so, comment here and you could win a download of my historical LOVE FROM THE ASHES. I’ll announce the winner at the end of the evening.☺

REJECTION: GETTING OVER IT

I had a wimpy blog set for today, but yesterday an event gave me new inspiration for a blog that has more meat. I can even tie it in to Banned Books Week. (More on that in a moment.)

I received a rejection yesterday. Boy howdy.

It wasn’t the worst rejection I’ve ever received. It wasn’t even a publisher who rejected me. It was a reviewer. But don’t worry that this is an article condemning reviewers or this particular reviewer. No way. I once reviewed books back in the day. Waaaay back in the day. So I have perspective from that angle. I know what it’s like to read a book and just not understand what the big deal is supposed to be.

I didn’t head for the whine and cheese after I received this review. Not much anyway. ☺ What I did do is ponder the rejection and decide that I could do three things. Get very indignant. Pout. Or get over it.

I chose to get over it.

As I read the review and heard the reviewer’s complaint about the story, my ego reminded me that this same story won a writing award a few weeks earlier. What did this do? It solidified in my mind a few tenants I see as truthful about the world of writing and rejection. It’s food for thought whenever the review demon comes out and clobbers you or a publisher rejects your work.

1. The tired old saying is true: one man’s trash is another man’s treasure. Once in awhile I run across a best selling book that I can’t finish. Like anyone who has ever done the same, I couldn’t figure out what the big deal was. I couldn’t understand why this was a best seller. But, when a best selling novel doesn’t blow my skirt up, I have to acknowledge that something about their work appeals to a wide range of people. There are certain styles of writing that turn me on, and other styles that leave me cold. It doesn’t mean the book is poorly written because I don’t like it. It may mean I just don’t care for that author’s voice and style.

2. Best sellers/famous-as-hell authors get rejected. Yep. Every last one of them. Some of my favorite authors occasionally get trashed. Stephen King. Dean Koontz. Does it keep either one of them from writing? Nope. ☺ I admire these two authors like crazy, not only for what I consider to be their ground breaking, kick ass work, but their gumption.

3. Damn the torpedoes. I’d venture to say that writing is a lot like no pain, no gain. Most writers struggle for years before they are published. Some are never published. A few never give up. I have known authors who stopped writing because of one thing or the other, and these were talented, wonderful authors (in my opinion). Some quit writing because of rejection. Others gave up because they decided they found something else they’d rather do with their time. While the idea of throwing my hands up and screaming “I give up” has certainly crossed my mind before, I haven’t. Giving up is the only failure, and should I allow rejections to keep me from writing? No way.

4. Sometimes you hit a bull’s eye, sometimes you don’t. I’m an archer. Yep, I love to get out my big ole compound archery bow and hit a bull’s eye. I’m not very competitive so the idea of hitting a bull’s eye every time is nice, but it isn’t what my archery is all about. It’s also about enjoying myself. So in a way I liken writing to archery. Sometimes you hit have a fantastic day hitting the target, sometimes you don’t.

5. Don’t let ‘em get you down. Speaking of Banned Books Week, I wanted to say thank you to all the librarians, readers, authors, and other individuals who face down censorship every day and defy it. I’m one of those people who crusades against censorship.

Now that I’ve overloaded you with copious clichés, I hope you’ll consider what I’ve said and give it some thought the next time you get a rejection…of any kind.

Here’s to enjoying all kinds of writing, no matter where it is or what it says. Freedom of expression is a wonderful thing.

Release day for my latest paperback was August 26! The print compilation of MALE CALL and UNCONDITIONAL SURRENDER, two of the stories in my HOT ZONE series at Samhain Publishing www.samhainpublishing.com. August was a long month waiting patiently for it to come out. :) Patience, though, is something that many of us have to work very hard to maintain.

“Patience is a virtue,” said Evie to her brother in the movie The Mummy.

One day not long ago, I had plenty of evidence for that. I was at my car repair shop with my AlphaSmart clacking away on my work in progress when a guy came into the shop who had that certain ‘tude. You know the one that says he is more important than the other customers. To make a long story short, he got angry when the very nice customer service person didn’t treat him as if he was more important than everyone else in the room. He stomped out like a spoiled brat. That day was rife with little examples of impatience. As I sat in the left turn lane waiting to turn onto a street, there were several cars in front of me. The green arrow came on while a man in a wheelchair was rolling across the street. The car behind me honked as if the lead car in the line should just run over the man in the wheelchair. Okie dookie. Maybe the man behind me didn’t see the wheelchair? How scary is that?

I finally made it onto the street. Immediately a car behind me started riding my tail. The speed limit on that road is 35. The person got in the other lane to my left and sped by going probably twenty miles faster…at least. Where did they end up? At the next stoplight with me. I just smiled. (By the way, the average speeding ticket is twenty-two miles per hour OVER the posted speed limit.)

Everyone succumbs to the impatience bug at some point or the other. We want instant gratification. We want the approval that comes when we accomplish something FAST. What’s my point in mentioning our lack of patience? Whenever I’ve caught myself starting to go Type A over a situation that can’t be helped along by a rash of impatience, I find that dumping the impatience has left me a happier person. Probably healthier, too.

What does all this have to do with writing? A lot. As authors we are often expected to complete books by a deadline (which is a good thing unless we get behind or the deadline isn’t reasonable), or we expect things from ourselves that are created by impatience and not a reasonable time frame/plan.

As a person do you find impatience a common theme in your life? Add a comment and I’ll pick a winner at the end of the day to receive a trade paperback of PRIMORDIAL, my RT TOP PICK erotic romance.

New release time! Like any other author, I want to promote my work. After much thinking (okay about five minutes maybe), I decided a plain and simple howdy and a chance for readers to win a book would be a good blog for today.

INTIMATE ALLIANCE is the paperback version of my novellas MALE CALL and UNCONDITIONAL SURRENDER. Both stories are the first two in my HOT ZONE series at Samhain Publishing www.samhainpublishing.com You can preorder it at Amazon, Borders.com and Barnes and Noble (www.bn.com). It should be available on the Samhain Publishing site www.samhainpublishing.com site soon as well.

What, you might ask, is INTIMATE ALLIANCE about? Here are some teaser blurbs to give you a clue.

In Male Call—Her sexy letters are his only lifeline in his dangerous world, and both of them must contend with the growing passion tumbling them straight into the Hot Zone. Eve Carmichael fears for soldier Sean O’Callahan’s life. How she longs for more of his flirtatious, hot letters. When Sean is wounded, her fears are realized. But fate serves up a wonderful gift that neither of them expected.

In Unconditional Surrender—She’s archaeology, he’s Special Ops, and both of them teeter on the edge of stepping into the Hot Zone. Keith doesn’t want her to travel to a hot zone he feels isn’t safe and the place where his sister was killed years ago. As they grapple with exploding passion between them, their battle of wills may just lead them to the truth living in both their hearts.

And what shameless promotion would be complete without some review/author quotes?

“…the chemistry is explosive.” Romance Junkies

“…genius…” Love Romances

“…I cannot say enough good things about this story…” Fallen Angels

“Denise A. Agnew’s stories are a guarantee of riveting characters who grab your heart and soul, and don’t let go until the final page.”
~Linnea Sinclair,
RITA-Award winning author

“Denise Agnew delivers exciting, sexy, well-crafted stories that keep you positively glued to the pages.”
~Cheyenne McCray, USA Today bestselling author of Wicked Magic

In celebration of this release, I’m offering a paperback of MEANT TO BE, one of my tamer, though definitely sensual romances. So be sure to comment today and you could win. Here’s my question for the day (DRUM ROLL)…What is the first thing about a romance novel that grabs your attention? Blurb? Cover? Excerpt? Anything else?

I’ll check back with you all from time to time and pick a winner at the end of the day. Happy reading!

You’re either SWAT or you’re not.

Remember that line from the movie SWAT staring Colin Farrel? Okay, you might not. But why am I mentioning it? It’s time to talk about SWAT…one of those subjects that sometimes sends readers into a frenzy. The allure of hot men in dangerous occupations. Plus, I have a place you might want to visit to appease your craving for action adventure novels. First, my good news!

IN HER DEFENSE, my romantic suspense novel featuring a SWAT team officer hero, will be released by Liquid Silver Publishing. I don’t have an exact release date yet, but I will keep everyone updated. IN HER DEFENSE is the first book in a three book series. Here’s the blurb to encourage your appetite.

Celeste Rice’s life has been shattered by terrible violence more than once. Violence threatens to creep back into Celeste’s world when her ex-boyfriend stalks her. When Celeste inherits her aunt’s home, she decides to move back into her childhood neighborhood after long years away. Upon her prodigal return, she encounters old friend and long-time object of her desire, Mick MacGilvary and knows that she is finally ready to pursue that heart-stopping attraction. She believes she’ll stop craving him if she has sex with him once and gets it out of her system. She decides to test the wildfire attraction, even though Mick’s violent past and his SWAT position frighten her.

Mick will do anything in her defense…
SWAT cop Mick MacGilvary’s instincts tell him Celeste’s ex-boyfriend has something evil up his sleeve. Mick’s uneasy past with Celeste makes him gun-shy around her. His protective feelings for Celeste have never abandoned him. Ten years ago, Celeste rejected his advances, and he hasn’t forgotten. The heavy-duty attraction he’s always had for her ramps up now that she’s near.

Danger lurks around the corner…
Caught up in a passion neither of them can deny, Mick and Celeste’s strengths and weaknesses are tested when her ex-boyfriend decides if he can’t have her, no one will.

Whew! Someone hose me down please! Ahem. On to more adventure. Are you the type of reader who loves adventure/action oriented novels whether they be romance or otherwise? If you haven’t joined us at Danger Zone authors www.dangerzoneauthors.com, you must stop by and see us! We’re a group of authors, men and women, who enjoy writing novels with a taste of danger. While I’ve written in a wide variety of romance genres, I’ve concentrated quite often on action/adventure/suspense and paranormal in my work. At Danger Zone Authors we blog every day, plus we have a readers group that you’re welcome to join. Please stop by and read my interview with real life SWAT officer Jim Adams.

Stay tuned. Is it getting HOT for SWAT in here? If you find SWAT even somewhat HOT, tell me why! I’ll pick a random winner at the end of the day to win a download copy of DANGEROUS INTENTIONS.

Denise A. Agnew
Step off the edge…
Into dark, delicious adventure…
www.deniseagnew.com

I know many of you enjoy Alpha heroes that are still Beta enough to cradle a baby and yet tough enough to protect a woman. In my HOT ZONE series at Samhain Publishing www.samhainpublishing.com, I wanted to introduce these heroes in “slice-of-life” stories set in a small Wyoming town. So far the response has been outstanding, and the next installment is CLOSE QUARTERS (May 20 release). How did I get the idea for this story? Well, I was hanging around one day doing dishes by hand (boring). I saw in my imagination a man dressed in a Hawaiian shirt with horrible colors that was way too big for him. I saw him sitting in a diner being covertly observed by a woman. The woman thinks his Hawaiian shirt is ugly. A few moments later, her hasty impression of him is altered forever when the coffee shop is robbed.

Here’s a blurb and excerpt to give you a small taste of CLOSE QUARTERS: (more…)